VicRoads has announced it will be hosting an exclusive live Heritage plates auction on February 18 in celebration of the Lunar New Year.
The auction will take place at the Park Hyatt Grand Ballroom in Melbourne and will feature a curated selection of premium Heritage plates, including one two-digit combination and several three-, four-, and five-digit combinations available for bidding by both in-person attendees and those who have registered online.
VicRoads will be providing the following Heritage plate combinations for auction: 766, 1.680, 2.025, 6.886, 7.887, 8.282, 28.000, 59.999, 86.888, and 98.989.
Numbers two, six, eight and nine are considered very auspicious in Chinese culture — eight in particular is the luckiest number because the pronunciation (bā) sounds similar to the word ‘fā’ which means to make fortune.
Two additional plates are being provided by private sellers, one of which is a two-digit combination from Western Australia.
Single- and double-digit Heritage plates are the most valuable, with double digit plates often fetching prices in the millions.
In June 2024, Victorian number plate ‘20’ sold for a record-breaking $2.54 million, surpassing the previous record held by Victorian number plate ‘14’ which sold for $2.27 million in May 2022.
Heritage plates are unique, being faithful replicas of Victoria’s first ever number plates, which were issued in the 1930s.
Crafted with unparalleled attention to detail, these plates continue to be handmade reflecting the time-honoured techniques used last century, making each one distinct.
VicRoads Registration and Licensing Services chief executive Giles Thompson said the Lunar New Year auction follows VicRoads’ first ever hybrid auction in October 2024 which was a big success.
“Our recent auction held in October 2024 in partnership with Heritage Only, attracted more than 300 in person guests as well as additional online bidders, and all ten plates sold above their reserve prices,” he said.
“There is consistent interest in and appeal for Heritage plates, especially when it comes to three-, four- and five-digit combinations due to their rarity. We know keen buyers will be excited by the opportunity to expand their collections of Heritage plates at our Lunar New Year auction.”
Tickets are strictly limited, so interested parties are encouraged not to miss the chance to secure complimentary auction tickets now at heritageonly.com.au
For in-person bidders, bidder registrations will be open at the Park Hyatt from 6.30 – 7.30pm on 18 February, with the auction commencing at 7.30pm.
